Harsh New Social Security Bills Introduced to Parliament

The Government today introduced two new Social Security Bills to Parliament with a series of measures that will hurt students, unemployed people and migrants.

Tammy Wolffs, CEO of the Settlement Council of Australia, said, “These Bills, which reintroduced legislation from 2017, propose a series of measures that reduce payments – or deny them altogether – for some of those struggling the most.

“If passed, Migrants may need to wait an extra five years – facing new waiting times of between 10 and 15 years – before they can access Disability Support Pension or Age Pension. This measure will not affect many people and will not save the Government much money, but it will affect some of the most vulnerable.”

Ms Wolffs, said, “I am also concerned that if the changes are passed, it will mean payments to many students receiving an Education Entry Payment and/or Pensioner Education Supplement will be cut. And people with some savings who become unemployed, may have to wait up to twice as long before they can receive Newstart.

“The Settlement Council urges Labor, the Greens, other parties and independents to oppose these bills.”